Planning and Development

Hampshire Minerals Plan - Sand & Gravel Apportionment Poll

Background

SEERA (South East England Regional Assembly) is consulting with local authorities about the amount of aggregates (sand, gravel and crushed rock) extracted in the South East each year, and how much each authority should be planning to provide.

Aggregates used in construction of a new building

A reliable supply of aggregates is essential for supporting the region’s and the County’s economy.

Sand and gravel are used in the construction and repair of homes, hospitals, schools, commercial & manufacturing premises and roads.

The finished building

Government guidelines set the amount of aggregates each authority needs to provide, but this amount is currently based on past levels of production, and does not take into account future needs, likely availability of materials and environmental constraints.  Also, the overall figure for the South East is currently under review by the Government and is likely to go down.

Hampshire is currently required to produce 2.63 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) of sand and gravel until 2016.  SEERA is asking for views on three different options of production in the future to replace this requirement, taking into account:

  • the likely future demand for construction
  • the location of the aggregates
  • the need to protect and enhance the environment

Hampshire’s View

The whole of Hampshire contains only 18% of land that contains minerals and of that only a proportion of that  can be used for extraction because of factors such as accessibility, closeness to special landscapes or habitats and to people.  Despite this, Hampshire is still required to provide 20% of the land won sand and gravel in  the South East.  We believe this share is too much, especially in light of the fact that Hampshire;

  • has such a large total area of exceptional countryside, which we need to protect and enhance;
  • uses recycled aggregates effectively which  reduces the need for digging new sites ;
  • makes good use of sand and gravel reserves in the Channel.

The County Council’s view is that we should protect our countryside, make the best use of recycling and other resources whenever we can. With a reduction in Hampshire’s regional apportionment / allocation, we shall need fewer sites for extracting new material.   

Mineral extraction is inevitable, but Hampshire County Council believes quality of life for Hampshire residents and preserving as much as the environment as possible must be taken into consideration.  

Your view

Hampshire County Council will be submitting to SEERA its view on the changes it is proposing to how the amount of land-won aggregates is calculated and therefore the amount each area is expected to provide, and is keen that the view submitted to SEERA is a clear reflection of that of the county’s residents.  

The online poll has now closed and the results will be incorporated into our overall response to SEERA before their consultation ends on 8th August 2008.   If you would prefer to respond directly to SEERA on this, you can do so at the SEERA consultation.

Several methodologies were considered by SEERA, with Options C, D and E agreed as the most viable. The three options selected for consultation and their effect on Hampshire in terms of the annual tonnage we are required to provide are shown below (mtpa = million tonnes per annum):

Option C – Demand ( 2.32 mtpa )

‘Demand’ led, which places the highest weighting on where future construction demand is likely to be

Option D – Environmental ( 1.82 mtpa )

‘Environmental’ led, which places the highest weighting on avoiding areas of greatest conservation and landscape importance

Option E – Demand and Resources ( 2.12 mtpa )

‘Demand and Resource’ led, which places equal weighting on demand and on the location of aggregate resources.